America is an urban nation. More than two thirds of us live on the three percent of land that contains our cities. Yet cities get a bad rap: they’re dirty, poor, unhealthy, crime ridden, expensive, and environmentally unfriendly. Or are they?

As Edward Glaeser proves in this myth-shattering book, cities are actually the healthiest, greenest, and richest (in cultural and economic terms) places to live. New Yorkers, for instance, live longer than other Americans; heart disease and cancer rates are lower in Gotham than in the nation as a whole. More than half of America’s income is earned in twenty-two metropolitan areas. And city dwellers use, on average, 40 percent less energy than suburbanites.

Glaeser travels through history and around the globe to reveal the hidden workings of cities and how they bring out the best in humankind. Even the worst cities—Kinshasa, Kolkata, Lagos—confer surprising benefits on the people who flock to them, including better health and more jobs than the rural areas that surround them. Glaeser visits Bangalore and Silicon Valley, whose strangely similar histories prove how essential education is to urban success and how new technology actually encourages people to gather together physically. He discovers why Detroit is dying while other old industrial cities—Chicago, Boston, New York—thrive. He investigates why a new house costs 350 percent more in Los Angeles than in Houston, even though building costs are only 25 percent higher in Los Angeles. He pinpoints the single factor that most influences urban growth—January temperatures—and explains how certain chilly cities manage to defy that link. He explains how West Coast environmentalists have harmed the environment and how struggling cities from Youngstown to New Orleans can “shrink to greatness.” And he exposes the dangerous anti-urban political bias that is harming both cities and the entire country.

Using intrepid reportage, keen analysis, and eloquent argument, Glaeser makes an impassioned case for the city’s import and splendor. He reminds us forcefully why we should nurture our cities or suffer consequences that will hurt us all, no matter where we live.

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Quotes & Awards

“Triumph of the City is bursting with insights and policy proposals to debate…You’ll…walk away dazzled by the greatness of cities and fascinated by this writer’s nimble mind.”

New York Times

“This is popular economics of the best sort. Mr. Glaeser clearly believes that hell isn’t other people; heaven’s more like it, for all our faults. He’s right, and he says it well.”

Economist (London)

“Provides an illuminating mix of history, statistics, and polite polemic, while displaying a basic faith that cities are sufficiently interesting to hold the reader’s attention.”

Washington Post

A New York Times Bestseller

Listener Opinions

by Toni | 2/18/2014

" Not uninteresting, but his argument isn't the kind of thing you really need a whole book to make. And if you're looking for a love song to the city, you'd do much better to get your Jane Jacobs on instead. "

by Keith | 1/12/2014

" A great summary on why cities are one of man's greatest inventions and how we need to nourish them. I really agreed with him a lot on housing policy and how the US has a set up a lot of programs and policies that are anti city. Some of his education ideas are not quite there though. And no matter how cheap the housing I am never moving to Houston. "

by Alex Boerger | 1/4/2014

" Great book everyone working for a city should read. Build high in the sky to save nature! Build bigger cities where the living conditions are good (not to cold, not to hot). "

by Wade | 12/29/2013

" Not sure what to think about this one but it was well worth my time. An economist who looks at planning from a semi objective perspective is refreshing. What I most took away is that cities are people, not their buildings, and we often get that confused and it causes problems. Investing in your human capital and creating Human Habitats where people like to congregate and share ideas is tantamount for a successful city. His detached assessment of Detroit and other Rust Belt cities was most useful for me, as I summed up his main argument and density is good mantra quickly. Still he has lots of good stats to back up his assertions. His ideas on poverty are interesting put probably fall a lot short of reality. He is one step back from Florida's Creative Class BS but he doesn't seem to have an answer to what you do with everyone who isn't an innovator. There can be only so many Steve Jobs. A good book I may actually reread right away to capture everything he discussed. Also, another pro is his development of so many cities and key aspects of planning. "

" Lots of research and very well done, but I held back on the fourth star because the book ended up being more a presentation of facts than the author's own ideas, which was what I was hoping for. "

Max | 10/26/2013

" I enjoyed this. It was mostly interesting, though a bit drawn out at parts. I ended up skimming the last third. Still, I learned a decent amount and I would absolutely go back to it for any research involving urban planning. "

Bryan | 10/2/2013

" Not bad. I'm not sure about some of his environmental facts, but generally he makes some strong points about urban environments and urban economics. I found him mostly agreeable. "

Jill Cordry | 7/4/2013

" The book is insightful and makes excellent easily understood points. The reason I didn't give it five stars is that it is a bit repetitive. "

Tei | 6/22/2013

" A must-read for anyone interested in urbanism in America today. Found the chapter on Detroit particularly of interest. "

Rob | 10/13/2012

" Good synthesis, with few new ideas. Most coherent critique of Jacobs out there. "

Matt | 9/18/2012

" Makes you feel good about living in a city. Overall, a good read about the importance of urban areas, the ways in which they thrive and their importance to humanity's continued success/survival. "

Aj Sharma | 8/31/2012

" If you think about a number of the things that are said, it's debateable,. But the books is pretty good overall. "

Cordelia | 11/12/2011

" There are a lot of interesting points that spur plenty of conversation about whats important in urban development. "

Rachel | 10/25/2011

" Although it had a few interesting points, this book was mostly just a collection of superficial observations. Like, did you know that people who live in cities drive less than people who live in suburbia? "

Mike | 6/30/2011

" Want to be good to the environment? Live in a city. "

Tara | 4/29/2011

" This is a fine book of synthesis. It is an evocative presentation of city theory and history. It is a statement of what the city has given economically, socially and culturally. While it is an optimistic study, it offers a great (re)calibration of urbanity in a age that romanticizes the rural.
"

Rob | 4/21/2011

" Good synthesis, with few new ideas. Most coherent critique of Jacobs out there.
"

Daniel | 4/3/2011

" He got me to think more about the relationship between supply, demand and housing price in cities. I also liked the surprising argument that urban slums are often preferable to rural poverty.
"

Drewkosztyo | 3/28/2011

" A novel and iconoclastic examination of urban living at the beginning of the third millennium -- and yet another reason for New Yorkers to feel superior to suburbanites.
"

Eric | 3/26/2011

" Lots of research and very well done, but I held back on the fourth star because the book ended up being more a presentation of facts than the author's own ideas, which was what I was hoping for.
"

Joe | 3/10/2011

" Good history of cities and good reasons to live in one (even though the author lives in the suburbs).
"

Tyson | 3/6/2011

" This book needs to be required reading for environmentalists and politicians.
"

About the Author

Edward Glaeseris the Fred and Eleanor Glimp Professor of Economics at Harvard, where he also serves as director of the Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston. He has written numerous articles on urban issues, including the growth of cities, segregation, crime, and housing markets. He received his PhD from the University of Chicago in 1992 and has been at Harvard since then.

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